6 style rules to make your Christmas tree look more expensive

Decorating the tree is the pinnacle of any Christmas decorating scheme and the theme for this year is quiet luxury. Making your festive decorations look ultra-luxe this year is simple with a few styling tips and tricks. 

Decorating the house ready for festivities is an event many of us look forward to all year, and the tree takes centre stage. Whether you are using your existing decorations or adopting new Christmas tree decorating ideas it's easy to add a touch of sophistication to your tree to change things up this year.

Similar to making your home look expensive all it takes is a few small tweaks and thoughtful consideration for lighting and placements to elevate your tree for Christmas 2023.

How to make a Christmas tree look expensive

Adam Mason, co-founder of The Christmas Creators, premium Christmas decorators who specialise in festive design and installations, shares his top tips exclusively with w&h on how the professionals make a Christmas tree look expensive without spending a fortune...

1. Tease the branches

The best luxury Christmas trees are full-bodied, like the finest wines! A sparse tree looks less than luxe, instead looking like the last tree in the lot – even when it's artificial. 

"You want to ensure your tree is fluffed out as much as possible," says Adam "particularly if you’re working with an artificial Christmas tree. Shaping the branches adds a level of realism and shading, so the tree doesn’t look rigid and plastic."

If you have a real tree you can also look to add extra sprigs of foliage to make it thicker and fuller. "Obviously if you have a real tree, make sure you’re keeping it watered so it’s as healthy as can be."

 A real tree will last longer if you're mindful of how often you should water a Christmas tree and take note of handy hacks on how to keep a real tree alive for longer.

Adam Mason

With an enviable track record in Electronic Systems Design and Installation, Adam ensures that all work for The Christmas Creators is delivered to a standard befitting of Santa’s workshop. To complement his operational expertise, Adam also has a sales and customer service background, so he understands the perfect balance between planning and delivery. 

2. Adopt a cohesive colour scheme

"Firstly, you want to choose a Christmas tree theme; a theme will give you something to work with," Adam explains. "This can be a colour scheme, a collection of baubles or even an interest or hobby of yours and the family."

A cohesive colour scheme will always make your Christmas tree decorating ideas look more considered and more expensive.  Whether your living room is a vision of quiet luxury decor or bold and vibrant with maximalist decor the important style aspect is to make your Christmas tree colour coordinate.

3. Choose warm ambient lights

Never are lighting mistakes more prominent and on display than when illuminating a Christmas tree. Bright white lights look colder than warm white bulbs which feel cosy and more elegant, therefore warmer bulbs naturally welcome a more luxe look. 

“Warm white lights are your best friend here, and you ideally want 5m of lights for every 2ft of your Christmas tree," advises Adam. "It sounds like a lot, but they add a touch of sparkle and also help to fill any spaces on the tree if you don’t have a large enough bauble collection."

Look beyond the Christmas tree to the surroundings, to ensure your decorating scheme is coordinated with a subtle warm glow through the whole room, rather than being faced with a jarring mix of different light bulb temperatures that don't feel curated or considered.

4. Conceal the base

Whether real or artificial a visible Christmas tree base is a fast way to distract from the decorations and make the tree look less luxurious. From an attractive tree skirt to a woven basket, there's a variety of fabulous options to conceal your Christmas tree base in style.

"A base is just as important as your tree topper," explains Adam. "Something simple for the top, such as a star, is always a good option, while at the bottom you want a simple, statement tree skirt or stand. This will help to hide any wires hanging out the bottom of your tree and keep the area looking tidy and well-styled.”

5. Carefully consider placement

I have a confession to make, I drive my family up the wall when decorating the tree because of how long it takes me to get things just right. However, I like to think it's this careful consideration that pays dividends when making my tree look its best.

“When it comes to adding your decorations, space them out evenly," Adam is keen to stress. "Place your larger baubles a little further into your tree, adding depth, and build outwards from these, ensuring to fill spaces with your smaller baubles and decorations, trying your best to avoid adding decorations that look alike too close to one another."

Step back continually as you decorate to get a clear picture of where everything sits. Are the lights evenly distributed? (This is not a factor if you're lucky enough to have a pre-lit tree of course)

6. Add on-trend bows

Bows are the perfect finishing touch for adding luxury. From the black ribboned bow on the top of popular Jo Malone Candles to the delicate bows seen on the best party dresses, there's something significantly luxurious about neatly tied bows. Use this principle to help make a Christmas tree look expensive by tying simple ribbons to branches and topping the tree with a beautiful statement bow.

“Tree ribbons are also a stunning touch to make it look more expensive," says Adam. "Aim for ribbons with wired edges as they’re better to shape and mould around your tree and they hold their shape much longer."

For general finishing flourishes Adam adds: "We also recommend considering a small selection, not too many, of tree picks and floral sprays, typically adorned with pine cones, berries and twigs, as these will always complement your tree." 

Follow these simple styling steps when decorating your Christmas tree this weekend and your tree will look like it's been decorated by professionals.